MSRP:

$4399

Overall Rating: 6.83

The most expensive foldup that Vision has ever made. Wonder if we can get Lifefitness to make a foldup of their club model to compete with Vision.

The Vision TF40 Touch is the most expensive fold-up treadmill you are going to find. It is essentially the TF40 Classic with significantly more programming options and a touchscreen. At $4,399, it costs $1,400 more. You can also opt for the TF40 Elegant, which has more programming options than the Classic but less than the Touch, for $3,599. The Elegant does not come with the touchscreen, however.

The walking area is a good size. The belt measures in at 20" x 60", which has become the standard size walking belt that is found on many of today's treadmills. This should provide plenty of room for larger users to run on comfortably without altering their stride.

An uncompetitive motor powers this machine. There are a few models that sell for $2,000 that have similar power producing capabilities. Still, speeds of up to 12 mph are attainable, so even experienced runners should have no problem challenging themselves.

A cushioning system that is disappointing in this price range comes on this model. Ultra Zone cushioning is used to reduce the impact that running has on your joints and back. Proform has a few sub-$1,000 treadmills that offer similarly forgiving and durable running surfaces.

As far as projected reliability is concerned, this machine is okay. You can, however, find several treadmills in this price range that have an even longer life expectancies. The quality of parts used is also nice but unspectacular at this high of a cost.

The warranty on the Vision TF40 Touch is great. Labor is covered for 2 years; parts are covered for 7 years; and the motor, frame, and cushioning are covered for life. This is the kind of coverage you hope for when you're asked to make such a large investment in your treadmill.

General Information

Vision is an import brand made by Johnson. They are known for making a high value treadmill. They were formerly owned by Trek Bicycles but were sold to management, and now, Johnson is the sole owner of the brand. For years Johnson Health Tech operated Vision as a separate brand but two years ago decided to merge its' operations with their other North American operations.

Quality / Philosophy

Vision is a high quality product that has really upgraded their treadmill lineup this year, except for the handrail design where it looks like an engineer sneezed when he drew it. They are putting high quality parts and are abandoning the lower end of the market. We gained a much greater understanding of Johnson's business in the past few years with our visit to their headquarters and facilities in Taiwan and China. Johnson is the most integrated manufacturer of fitness equipment in the world. This can be both good and bad. The good is that you are in control of almost all aspects of production. The bad is that you are in control of almost all aspects of production, if you mess up there is no one else to blame. They really seem to be focused on doing things the right way so it appears that this is a case where it is good overall. Overall, we were impressed with their quality procedures, design, and testing processes and the reviews will reflect our better understanding of their operations.

Outlook

Vision, who once helped shut down many US factories with their innovative manufacturing approach, is now the victim of their own success by pushing some of the quality to their other brands like Livestrong and AFG. They are making a firm move to the higher end of the market to try to challenge True. We will see how that works out for them. We find many of the Vision machines in light commercial use.